(TL/N: Apology for the delay. I had no wifi connection 😭)
"Do not worry. I came prepared this time."
Xingqiu was full of confidence.
For this voyage, he not only brought a large quantity of manga, but also secret agents under Ningguang.
First, to lay out plans in Sumeru.
Second, to establish an intelligence station.
It could be said that whatever was needed, the other side would provide support out of consideration for Su Han.
Security was naturally guaranteed.
The steward nodded lightly upon hearing this. During these days at sea, he had already sensed how extraordinary those people were.
It seemed the young master had truly grown up.
After disembarking,
Xingqiu began directing the dockworkers to transport the manga. As for the shop, it had long since been arranged. It only needed to open.
Two hours later,
Sumeru's first manga store opened for business.
The people at the port heard the news and flocked over.
Many among them had already heard of manga, and quite a few had even read several volumes from friends, though never in a complete set.
This time, the opening of the manga store caused a sensation throughout the city.
"Everyone, slow down. No need to rush."
"There is plenty of manga. Please line up."
"5,000 Mora per volume. Fair for all ages. If you buy the full set, there is a 20 percent discount."
"Apologies, there is a purchase limit. At most 10 sets per person per day."
Xingqiu did not even have time to hold any kind of opening ceremony before the storefront was packed with people.
His prices were fair, and the manga was novel.
Naturally, people were drawn to it.
Gradually, more than half of the 50,000 copies were sold in a short time.
Along the streets, discussions began to rise. Such a fresh novelty would never lack for conversation.
Beneath a certain tree,
a young boy held a manga volume and read with great delight.
Especially the various spell duels in Under One Person. They thrilled him immensely.
What the boy did not know was that above his head, a small bird was also watching the manga.
It craned its neck, unwilling to miss a single page.
Unfortunately, the boy was young and read only for excitement. Many brilliant parts he casually skipped.
This caused the little bird considerable distress.
It wanted to move somewhere else to read, but feared being discovered.
At that moment, the boy's parents called him to eat, and the manga was left on the table.
Seeing this, the bird immediately swooped down.
Using its beak, it flipped open the pages and began reading from the beginning.
The first volume was rather ordinary, yet the bird still learned quite a bit from it. The second volume, however, was more fascinating.
It contained not only abundant Daoist knowledge, but also profound philosophical insights.
"What a wonderful manga. No wonder so many people like it."
The bird muttered to itself.
Recently, it had often heard people discussing manga. But truly seeing it for the first time was today.
For example, the volume in its beak.
For "her," it was extremely important.
Not only did it relieve boredom, it also provided knowledge.
Soon, the second volume was finished. The bird used its body to close the book, then began reading the third.
It had to hurry.
Otherwise, once the boy finished eating, there would be no more opportunity.
The third and fourth volumes were even more captivating than before.
It was the first time seeing such mysterious and profound spell duels. The bird was utterly enthralled.
However, what the bird loved most was the knowledge contained within.
Whether it was interpersonal communication or various Daoist philosophies, whenever it encountered such passages, it would pause and read carefully. Only after committing them to memory would it reluctantly turn the page.
The story soon reached President Feng's evaluation of Zhang Chulan.
"Those who accomplish great things do not fuss over trifles. Endurance is always the most important."
"Endurance?"
"But I have endured for a full five hundred years. The one who will break the stalemate has yet to appear."
"When will this long stretch of years ever end?"
The bird sighed inwardly.
Yet it quickly cast aside those troubling thoughts. It had to seize the time. If the boy returned, there would truly be nothing left to read.
The fifth and sixth volumes.
The bird was completely absorbed in the story, so much so that it did not even hear the approaching footsteps.
"Hm? Even birds like manga?"
The sudden voice sent a chill through the bird's entire body. It turned, ready to flee.
Yet the boy only looked at it curiously and asked, "Do you like reading manga?"
The bird, which had been about to leave, paused.
Boy and bird stared at each other.
After a long moment, the bird slowly nodded.
Not only was the boy not frightened, he was delighted. "Wow, you really understand what I am saying. Why don't we read manga together? All right? I will not catch you. I am not like that jerk Charlotte who bullies little animals every day."
The bird nodded gently.
And so, with the boy's help, reading manga became much easier.
They read the entire afternoon.
The boy did not notice that the light in the bird's eyes was growing increasingly weary.
Finally, when Under One Person reached its last page, the boy noticed something was wrong.
He asked worriedly, "What is wrong? You look very tired."
The bird shook its head lightly, then bowed toward the boy.
From its gaze, the boy understood it was saying farewell.
Then, accompanied by a startled cry of a bird, this wondrous journey came to an end.
The boy did not understand what had happened, but in his hazy intuition, he guessed that the bird was not truly a bird, but some miraculous existence watching manga through it.
Within a certain palace,
a small girl dressed in pale green held her head and panted softly.
"It seems that staying away from my body for too long really is exhausting."
"But this experience has yielded much."
"Manga."
"It is truly wonderful."
"If there is a chance, I would like to see more."
After a long while, the little girl regained her calm.
The dim and silent palace was like a cage, sealing her within.
The long loneliness had taught her many things. And today, Nahida had learned even more from the manga.
Endurance did not mean doing nothing forever. Otherwise, even after another five hundred years, she would never leave.
The best way to escape was to find a spokesperson.
Otherwise, as long as she remained trapped in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Sumeru's situation would never change.
To seek change, one must begin by changing thought.
After reading Under One Person, Nahida understood many things.
Sumeru's overall mindset was wrong. It was chaotic. It was steeped in ignorance.
Excessive pursuit of knowledge would only lead them into deviation and madness.
Just like the one deeply trapped within the Inner Landscape.
Therefore, to save the people of Sumeru, to change the greater environment, she had to shatter their naive and illusory dreams.
"But where should I begin? At the very least, I need someone I can trust."
Though she now had a direction, how to act was still a problem.
Thus, in the darkness, Nahida fell into deep contemplation.
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